


It doesn't add up

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Operation Kuron, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Short One Shot, VLD Season 3, clone theory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-12 03:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11728248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Each time Shiro was taken from him, another piece was missing. Keith feared that if Shiro went missing again that there’d be nothing left at all.





	It doesn't add up

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still reeling from Season 3. WTF?! So here's a quick blurb to make my brain stop thinking about it. This is unbeta'd, I just needed to put this out there.

They silently stood in Shiro’s quarters. 

 

Rather than overthinking the situation, Keith listened to his aching heart and stepped up to close their distance. He brushed the unkempt hair away from Shiro’s face and looked into his tired gray eyes; still familiar but slightly vacant.  _ Kind of like last time _ . Keith felt his shoulders tense up but he tried to dismiss his fears. Shiro could always tell when he was worried about something and right now, Keith needed to be strong for him.

 

“Your hair is crazy,” Keith whispered with a smile, trying to keep the mood light with their usual banter. But then he found himself wondering how Shiro’s hair had grown out so quickly while he only had a faint shadow of stubble on his chin. He recalled the full beard Shiro had grown when he had been away in Japan for almost two weeks. Before Kerberos. Before Voltron.  _ It doesn’t add up. _

 

“Can I put your hair in a ponytail? Just to see what it looks like?” Keith teased, running his fingers through the knotted ends.

 

Shiro just produced a weak smile and shook his head no before stepping back. He slowly rid himself of his borrowed spacesuit and prisoner’s clothing as he stripped down to a white tank and underwear. Keith studied his clavicle, his legs, his arms. If he had been tortured and starved again, how was there no evidence of any loss of muscle mass? In fact, his biceps looked even bigger than before.  _ It doesn’t add up. _

 

Shiro sat down on the bed and shivered, running his hands up and down his arms and finally spoke. “Can I get a blanket?”

 

“Yeah,” Keith answered, quickly turning to rifle through the linen closet in Shiro’s room. 

 

Keith sat on the bed next to Shiro and covered his legs. “You want to talk about anything or do you want anything more to eat? Do you just want to sleep for now?” he asked, leaning into Shiro’s body. He was unsure how Shiro would handle physical contact this time around.  _ Does he even remember me?  _ Keith wasn’t about to waste months like last time so he just came out and said it. “Do you… remember? Me? Us?”

 

Shiro looked over at Keith, eyes less bright but full of pain. He reached up to cup his jaw with a broad, calloused hand. “Of course I do.” His voice sounded the same but the tone sounded a little more flat.

 

Keith wrapped his slender fingers around Shiro’s and pressed his cheek into the rough palm. His body temperature felt cooler than Keith remembered and he couldn’t feel the comforting and positive energy that Shiro usually emanated. Keith’s gut sank as his mind quickly jumped to the moment he initially set eyes on Sven.  _ A completely different person… _ But that was an alternate reality. They were in  _ this _ reality.  _ It just doesn’t add up. _

 

_ Can there at least be an alternate reality out there where Shiro comes back from Kerberos and we live happily ever after? _

 

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Keith whispered, still trying to pretend that everything felt normal. For his own sake. Or Shiro’s sake… Keith wasn’t sure. He wanted to kiss away Shiro’s pain and suffering. The awkward tension he felt in his chest caused him to hesitate a moment before he leaned in. Like his hands, Shiro's lips were also rough and cold but gave into Keith’s immediately. As if the kiss supplied a brief burst of energy, Shiro's strong fingertips curled into Keith’s skull with a firm grip as he suddenly parted Keith’s teeth with a forceful tongue.

 

Keith’s eyes immediately shot open. He smelled different. He tasted different. He  _ felt _ different. Keith pulled back but Shiro chased Keith's lips and aggressively kissed him again. Keith groaned as he tried to break the sloppy kiss. “Are you OK?” he asked, questioning Shiro’s uncharacteristic behavior.

 

“Yeah,” Shiro breathlessly replied. “I just really… need you.” 

 

Keith tried to study Shiro’s half-lidded eyes behind the mess of white hair. They were the same and yet hauntingly different. “I need you, too… I want you, I just…” Keith pulled away again. “I think you should rest first.”

 

Shiro gripped Keith’s head even harder and pulled him back into another kiss. His teeth cut into Keith’s bottom lip from the forceful momentum. “No,” he growled. “I want you first.” 

 

“Shiro, wait,” Keith protested with the faint metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He placed a hand on Shiro’s chest to push him away. Even his chest was cold. It was Shiro on the outside, but he was missing  _ something _ on the inside. “I really think you should clean up and rest. The gang is anxious to see you. We’ve been struggling to work together as a team and it’s really important that you address everyone when you’re feeling up to it. OK?” Keith attempted to speak in a steady but authoritative voice as his heart trembled.

 

_ Shiro was off last time for a little while. He just needs some time… How many near-death experiences can one man handle?  _ Keith asked himself as he stood away from the bed.

 

“I’m sorry…” Shiro apologized, looking rejected. “You’re right. I need to sleep for a while. My head hurts...” He slumped and looked down at the blanket in his lap. 

 

“Drink more water,” Keith offered. “You’re probably still dehydrated.”

 

“Yeah… probably. I’m having a hard time remembering things again. I don’t know. The last thing I remember was Zarkon trying to overtake the Black Lion. It told me to use my bayard. Then, just... nothing...”

 

\-----

 

Keith heard the door slide closed behind him. He looked up and down the hallway and suddenly felt alone. Very alone. And very frightened.

 

Each time Shiro was taken from him, another piece was missing. Keith feared that if Shiro went missing again that there’d be nothing left at all.

  
  
  



End file.
